New Attendees advice thread

[Kurdamoni]

3 minutes ago, Kristian said:

For the Diamond pass, an exclusive print is included, I assume this is a photo, what size it this please and could the Star sign this print instead of a photo on the table? also, when do we collect this exclusive print, when we collect the lanyard?

Could I collect the lanyard / DP on Saturday evening ready for Sunday morning to save time - if so where from please?

You collect this print the same time as you collect the pass itself and the lanyard yes. you can have this print signed if you want  it's about a A3 size print.

[MarioVl]

8 minutes ago, Kristian said:

For the Diamond pass, an exclusive print is included, I assume this is a photo, what size it this please and could the Star sign this print instead of a photo on the table? also, when do we collect this exclusive print, when we collect the lanyard?

Could I collect the lanyard / DP on Saturday evening ready for Sunday morning to save time - if so where from please?

Size is usually A3. Yes the star can sign it.
Last year it was possible to pick up your Diamond and Gold Passes on Thursday afternoon, which is a great time saver for the weekend - but just the pass, extra goodies like prints were not available. You could pick the pass and come back the next day for the print. if you pick up the pass during normal convention hours, then yes, you pick up also the print.
It isn't confirmed if it will be the same this year, but it's likely.

From your last question I understand you will only be at the convention on Sunday - yes, you can pick up the pass on Saturday evening - at least up until the convention closing time. Last year it was located beside the main entrance - before entering, so you do not need an entry pass to pick up the Diamond pass.

Kurdamoni beat me to it, but I added a couple extra details :)

Edited April 4, 2018 by MarioVl

[VikingGrrrl]

9 minutes ago, Kristian said:

Could I collect the lanyard / DP on Saturday evening ready for Sunday morning to save time - if so where from please?

If the diamond pass collection is at the same place as last year (more info about this closer to the event), meaning at entrance before ticket check, then yes you can pick ut up during show hours

Mario beat me to it XD

Edited April 4, 2018 by VikingGrrrl

[Raylenth]

It's usually a ball chain rather than a lanyard.

Collection details haven't been confirmed yet but you could collect you passes in the prior days at last years event.  collection was from a table in the main queue hall.

[Kristian]

great thanks for all your time and replies :)

Yes I only have the Sunday day pass, but traveling and staying at a hotel on the Saturday night ready - so if I get to Olympia for around 6pm Saturday night I was hoping to sort the DP, prints and passes etc out so I can just go to the main entrance to queue to get in on the Sunday morning. (if that makes sense lol)

oh and will the A3 print be in a collectorbook for protection?

Edited April 4, 2018 by Kristian

[natedammit]

13 minutes ago, Kristian said:

oh and will the A3 print be in a collectorbook for protection?

My advice is to always bring your own protection.

[Kristian]

1 minute ago, natedammit said:

My advice is to always bring your own protection.

Thank you - oh, and I should of listened to that advice a few years ago, I have 5 children now!!  

[Raylenth]

16 minutes ago, Kristian said:

 

oh and will the A3 print be in a collectorbook for protection?

No, please make sure you bring something large enough (No bear comments please) to protect it.

[TankerT]

Hi all,

Lots of great information in this thread.  I've never been to one of these Showmaster's events before.  If I bring my 10 year old son, and I buy a Gold Pass, does he also need a gold pass or just a children's ticket?

Thanks!

 

 

[Chris1970]

1 hour ago, Kristian said:

Thank you - oh, and I should of listened to that advice a few years ago, I have 5 children now!!  

What kind of cons have you been to? *Taking notes* 

[VikingGrrrl]

5 hours ago, TankerT said:

Hi all,

Lots of great information in this thread.  I've never been to one of these Showmaster's events before.  If I bring my 10 year old son, and I buy a Gold Pass, does he also need a gold pass or just a children's ticket?

Thanks!

Without a gold pass he won't have the gold pass perks. A children's ticket is the same as regular entry ticket.

[Gloria]

I didn't check this forum for a month...and I missed so many guest announcements that now I don't know what to do anymore LOL
...
...well, I'll start buying (finally, maybe) Sunday's entrance ticket...but know I'm stuck at choosing diamond & photo op passes.

Maybe I already asked it, but...how much in advance is better to get them? XD I need other time to decide XD

[Raylenth]

4 minutes ago, Gloria said:

I didn't check this forum for a month...and I missed so many guest announcements that now I don't know what to do anymore LOL
...
...well, I'll start buying (finally, maybe) Sunday's entrance ticket...but know I'm stuck at choosing diamond & photo op passes.

Maybe I already asked it, but...how much in advance is better to get them? XD I need other time to decide XD

Other than having a lower numbered pass for auto's (a high numbered pass may matter if you only go Saturday, may as there might be a chance you won't get called for your auto until Sunday) there's no real advantage or not to when you buy - other than the fact that the later you leave it the higher the chance of them possibly selling out.

There is also the fact that you get greater choice of which day you can have your photo.  IIRC Sunday photo's for Ian S Diamonds are sold out so if he is one of the ones you want you either have to forgo that activity or come on Saturday as well and pick Saturday as your chosen day.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Raylenth

[MarioVl]

4 minutes ago, Gloria said:

I didn't check this forum for a month...and I missed so many guest announcements that now I don't know what to do anymore LOL
...
...well, I'll start buying (finally, maybe) Sunday's entrance ticket...but know I'm stuck at choosing diamond & photo op passes.

Maybe I already asked it, but...how much in advance is better to get them? XD I need other time to decide XD

Keep coming for the silly chat and you'll see new announcements right away!

Raylenth already answered your question regarding diamond passes. Regarding regular photo ops: when you buy one you select a batch number. In order to keep queues manageable, people are called in order: first diamonds if applicable, then golds, then batch 1, then batch 2, etc. For very busy guests with more than one photo session per day, a high batch number may mean you cannot go until the afternoon session. In general, having a low batch number makes your scheduling more predictable - if you have batch 1 you know you'll have your photo shortly after the session start time, if you have a higher number it may take a while.

Obviously, if you wait purchasing your photo op for a popular guests, lower batch numbers will not be available. Also, photo ops may sell out.

So, purchase early if you can, but don't lose sleep otherwise. :)

[Gloria]

42 minutes ago, Raylenth said:

Other than having a lower numbered pass for auto's (a high numbered pass may matter if you only go Saturday, may as there might be a chance you won't get called for your auto until Sunday) there's no real advantage or not to when you buy - other than the fact that the later you leave it the higher the chance of them possibly selling out.

There is also the fact that you get greater choice of which day you can have your photo.  IIRC Sunday photo's for Ian S Diamonds are sold out so if he is one of the ones you want you either have to forgo that activity or come on Saturday as well and pick Saturday as your chosen day.

For the days, yes I'm planning to go only Sunday since I'll be in London only for few days and I'd like to make some sightseeing~
And I'm fearing a bit to see them sold out, but I need time to choose & to save a bit more money (so I can do a diamond and maybe one or two photo ops)...but maybe I could have some luck xD And right now my whovian side is only interested in the Doctors So I'm trying to choose between them XD
 

48 minutes ago, MarioVl said:

Keep coming for the silly chat and you'll see new announcements right away!

Raylenth already answered your question regarding diamond passes. Regarding regular photo ops: when you buy one you select a batch number. In order to keep queues manageable, people are called in order: first diamonds if applicable, then golds, then batch 1, then batch 2, etc. For very busy guests with more than one photo session per day, a high batch number may mean you cannot go until the afternoon session. In general, having a low batch number makes your scheduling more predictable - if you have batch 1 you know you'll have your photo shortly after the session start time, if you have a higher number it may take a while.

Obviously, if you wait purchasing your photo op for a popular guests, lower batch numbers will not be available. Also, photo ops may sell out.

So, purchase early if you can, but don't lose sleep otherwise. :)

I'll return to come here to check the forum so I won't miss anything again! And thank you very much for the info about the photo ops!

I'd really like to buy them as earlier as possibile, but I still need some time to save enough money...and I'll also need to choose, since I don't think that I'll be able to save enough to afford for everything lol

[Nerd Who]

Hi @Gloria! If you want to have a rough idea of how much time do you have before tickets sell out, you should keep an eye on the Eventbrite shop page where tickets are sold -> here. (This works for photo ops only, since it doesn’t display how many Diamond Passes are available.) You just have to select the photo op tickets you want, add them to you bag, and click “Order Now” (but you don’t have to pay immediately, just check out the details then close the page). On the following page you’ll see which photo op batches are still available, so in case a guest you’re interested in gets closer to their last photo op batch you’ll know in advance and have a chance to book them as soon as possible not to miss out on them.

For instance, since you’re interested in Doctor Who actors, on Sunday Peter Capaldi’s photos have reached batch 6, which means about 50% have already sold out. As an alternative option, all batches for Peter & Pearl joint photo shoot are still available. Christopher Eccleston, instead, has photos available for batch 5 (regular photo) and batch 3 (TARDIS photo), which means about 15% of photos have already sold out since last week!

Number of Diamond Passes available is harder to predict because we don’t know how many there are in total. But Showmasters did say that about 50% of Christopher Eccleston Diamond Passes sold out in the first day, so now there will be less than 50% (or 40%) DPs still available.

If you want photo ops only I’d say you still have time to make up your mind without any hurry - but don’t wait until two weeks before the event because all photos will definitely sell out before the convention if they keep selling at this rate. Maybe try to decide if you want Capaldi’s photo as soon as possible because he’s the one with the lowest number of photo ops left at this point. If you decide to go for Diamond Passes instead then maybe try to be quick especially for the Eccleston one as they might sell out in the next few weeks and you might not get a chance to get his auto on the day otherwise. Anyway, keep checking the Eventbrite page regularly to know what batches are available and how fast tickets are selling. Hope this helped a little 

Edited April 5, 2018 by Nerd Who

[Gloria]

@Nerd Who thank you very much! It helped really a lot!

Now I'll try to check every photo op I'm interested in, so I can see what it's better to get sooner and what could wait a little more XD

28 minutes ago, Nerd Who said:

Number of Diamond Passes available is harder to predict because we don’t know how many there are in total.

Oh...so I'll need to decide quickly which DP to get before I find them already sold out :/

Well, I'll try to check often the site so I can see more or less how much time I could have left, thank you! :)

[Nerd Who]

4 minutes ago, Gloria said:

@Nerd Who thank you very much! It helped really a lot!

Oh...so I'll need to decide quickly which DP to get before I find them already sold out :/

Well, I'll try to check often the site so I can see more or less how much time I could have left, thank you! :)

You’re welcome, always nice to help a fellow Italian Whovian!  (And fellow newbie since it’s my first year as well, but you do learn a lot of things quickly on this forum )

As an extra indication, I’ve been told that Showmasters try to tell us when passes/tickets are about to sell out on Facebook or Twitter, but that doesn’t always happen (for instance I don’t think there has been any notification yet that Ian Somerhalder’s photos and Diamond Passes are almost sold out) because obviously staff can’t monitor every single ticket all the time, so don’t rely solely on that and try to keep an eye on the Eventbrite site for yourself if you can 

[Gloria]

32 minutes ago, Nerd Who said:

You’re welcome, always nice to help a fellow Italian Whovian!  (And fellow newbie since it’s my first year as well, but you do learn a lot of things quickly on this forum )

As an extra indication, I’ve been told that Showmasters try to tell us when passes/tickets are about to sell out on Facebook or Twitter, but that doesn’t always happen (for instance I don’t think there has been any notification yet that Ian Somerhalder’s photos and Diamond Passes are almost sold out) because obviously staff can’t monitor every single ticket all the time, so don’t rely solely on that and try to keep an eye on the Eventbrite site for yourself if you can 

Okay! I'll keep an eye on the Eventbrite site...and also on Facebook and Twitter, maybe if I see some updates there I won't forget to check the website

[Chris1970]

3 minutes ago, Gloria said:

Okay! I'll keep an eye on the Eventbrite site...and also on Facebook and Twitter, maybe if I see some updates there I won't forget to check the website

It is alot to keep track on and I wish I can say it will get better. More guests needs more planning and except when new guests are presented the day when the schedule is released will make things move. 

[Raylenth]

They will announce here if they can as well if stocks are running low.

[TankerT]

21 hours ago, VikingGrrrl said:

Without a gold pass he won't have the gold pass perks. A children's ticket is the same as regular entry ticket.

Thanks very much for the response.  I've read through much of this forum topic, and there is lots of good information.

This will be my first Showmaster's event.  Thus, I am unsure what to expect.

I booked 2 C.E. Diamond Passes, as frankly, I never thought he would do an event.  And, since I am coming from the USA, I bought two Gold Passes, as well... all in is all in.  I figured I shouldn't spend any more times in queues and such than necessary as my time in London is limited.

That being said, I have never been to a Showmaster's show, and don't know what else I should know.  I am picking up on if I buy a regular photo shoot, I want to do so earlier as they are "batched"?   It appears that autograph tickets are not preorder like photos?  Instead, you buy your tickets at the show?  (But earlier is better? And, is it one location you go and buy all autograph tickets?)

It also seems like I should bring cash as the ATMs run out early?  

It seems like a lot of information available, and I'm not sure what else is truly essential.  I've been to many conventions across the USA, so I get the general idea, but the process here seems to be organized.  (And I was at one very small con in London a while back... had to get a Tom Baker photo...)

What else should I really know to make the experience a good one?  (That may not be obvious.)

Thanks!

Edited April 5, 2018 by TankerT
Formatting

[wjbleming]

13 minutes ago, TankerT said:

I am picking up on if I buy a regular photo shoot, I want to do so earlier as they are "batched"?

Yep, they're done in batches. Though bear in mind you've already paid for one in the diamond pass, you'll be buying a second photo and therefore a second pose if you buy a normal non Diamond Pass photo. You'll get them taken both at the same time.

 

13 minutes ago, TankerT said:

It appears that autograph tickets are not preorder like photos?  Instead, you buy your tickets at the show?  (But earlier is better? And, is it one location you go and buy all autograph tickets?)

Yes and no. If you don't have the Diamond Pass, you'll need to get a Virtual Queue (VQ) ticket from the end of the guest's queue. You don't buy the ticket, you only pay when you reach the top of the queue and about to meet the guest. As you said, if you're getting a VQ ticket, getting there earlier is better to get a lower number. If you have a Diamond Pass, though, you do not need a Virtual Queue ticket.

13 minutes ago, TankerT said:

It also seems like I should bring cash as the ATMs run out early?

Yes, you're better off bring some money in with you. A reserve amount, so to speak, so you don't run out.

13 minutes ago, TankerT said:

had to get a Tom Baker photo...)

I'm jealous, Tom is the only classic Doctor I have left to meet! lol

13 minutes ago, TankerT said:

What else should I really know to make the experience a good one?  (That may not be obvious.)

 

Honestly? Just have fun! lol Be sure to bring a good pair of walking shoes. Think of what you'd want to say to the guests you're meeting. Bring some water with you (There's a Tesco supermarket across the road, you can get bottles of water there) Be sure to ask the crew on site or on here beforehand if you have any questions and as I said, enjoy yourself!

Edited April 5, 2018 by wjbleming

[Raylenth]

I;ll just add that regarding any photo shoots you want to buy for guests you don't have a Diamond pass for, the order the shoots get called in is as follows:

For a Diamond guest: All Diamond pass holders first, Gold pass holders all batch numbers, regular photo shoot tickets Batch 1, then Batch 2, Batch 2 and so forth.

Non Diamond guest:  Gold pass holders all  batch numbers, regular photo shoot tickets Batch 1, then Batch 2, Batch 2 and so forth.

So as you have bought Gold passes as well it really doesn't matter what Batch you end up with for any photo shoots you buy for guests you don't have a Diamond pass for as you will join the other Gold pass people at the front, or second for Diamond guests you don't have a pass for.

If it's a guest with a huge number of batches it's possible they may call the Golds in smaller groups rather than all at once, say Golds Batches 1-5, then Golds 1- 10 to keep it manageable, but that's rare.

[Raylenth]

The Virtual Queue tickets are literally just a place in the queue and aren't a guarantee of meeting the guest which is why you don't pay for them.  It means that rather than joining a huge auto queue for your first guest that you don't have a Diamond pass for and having to stay in it until you get to the front, then joining the next queue and probably not actually getting much done, your ticket, as it's numbered saves your place, you can go off and get other VQ's for other guests you want to meet then wander around the event having fun.  You check back at the auto queues regularly to see where they have called to and you can join the actual smallish queue when your number is up, or any time after that.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Raylenth